Edgecombe Community College Celebrates Fifty Years
ECC President Dr. Deborah Lamm strikes a pose with staff and students at the photo booth, a popular attraction during Wednesday’s lunch hosted by employees to celebrate students.
Local officials, Edgecombe residents, and other stakeholders joined Edgecombe Community College students, employees, and retirees October 2-6 to celebrate the College’s fiftieth anniversary.
The institution was founded October 5, 1967. Tied to the theme “Giving Our Community an Edge for 50 Years,” daily activities celebrated various aspects of the College’s mission of being dedicated to fulfilling the educational, training, and cultural needs of the community.
Academic programs were highlighted on Monday, October 2. Faculty led public tours of the Rocky Mount and Tarboro campuses, and ECC instructor and local historian Monika Fleming presented a slideshow on the History of ECC Campus Buildings.
See photos
On Tuesday, cultural opportunities were the focus. Singer, historian, and multi-instrumentalist Lightnin’ Wells and ECC’s own Eric Greene, director of cultural arts, performed Songs and Stories in Keihin Auditorium. The free performance was held at 1 o’clock.
See the performance
The Tarboro campus greenway came alive on Wednesday as employees celebrated students by cooking and serving lunch. Games and special activities included a DJ, mechanical bull, photo booth, corn hole, and dancing. Shuttles brought students from the Rocky Mount campus to Tarboro to enjoy the party.
See a video recap of the party
See photo booth pictures
On Thursday, local officials joined the College community for a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Center for Innovation on the Tarboro campus. Planning is under way for the new 23,000-square-foot facility, which will be a hub for workforce training.
Following the groundbreaking, about a hundred College retirees and other stakeholders gathered in Mobley Atrium for a luncheon celebrating the many contributions of ECC during its first fifty years.
See photos
Speakers included Jessie Jones, vice chair of the ECC Board of Trustees and a member of the board since 1981, and Tommy Anderson, retired vice president of student services, who worked at the College for 36 years.
Jones and Anderson offered reflections on the development of the College. “What I remember most and loved the most is the closeness of the faculty, staff, administration, and students,” Anderson said. “We all worked together to assure that our students were successful.”
A number of officials offered congratulatory remarks, including Betty Jo Shepheard, ECC trustee and field representative for Senator Richard Burr; Leo Taylor, mayor pro tem of Tarboro; Carole Mehle, 2017-2018 Keihin Endowed Faculty Chair holder; Jontai Harris, president of the Student Government Association; and Leonard Wiggins, chair of the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners.
“It is widely known that North Carolina has one of the best community college systems in the country,” Wiggins said. “Certainly, it is our belief that Edgecombe is the best community college in the state.”
The week’s anniversary events concluded on Friday with a lunch honoring employees.